


Hours became years

by JessicaMariana



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Angst, Gen, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-12
Updated: 2013-10-12
Packaged: 2017-12-29 04:39:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,678
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1001009
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JessicaMariana/pseuds/JessicaMariana
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The time differences between Heaven, Hell and Earth have been tampered with, and after just getting back together with Sam and Dean, Castiel is dragged away to fight a war.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hours became years

**Author's Note:**

> This story takes place in the beginning of season 7 after Castiel disappears.

Sam and Dean simultaneously loaded their guns. They were both shocked by the sudden silhouette appearing in the doorway to Rufus’ old cabin. The sun was setting behind him, making his shape pitch black.

“Who are you?” Dean said with his gun pointed to the man, squinting, the sun blinding him. “Show yourself or I’ll shoot.”

“Dean,” said a husky voice as the silhouette took a step forward.

Something about the voice was familiar, and Dean slowly stepped closer to the man. As he came to an angle with the shadow cast by the open door, Dean could see slightly lighter shades where the sun was now touching the man’s face.

“No, it can’t be,” he whispered still pointing his gun at the dark shape.

Sam, standing further in the darkness of the cabin, also stepped forward finally able to see what his brother saw. Equally shocked, he didn’t know whether to hug the man or shoot him.

“Hello, Sam,” the man said, stepping forward into the cabin, closing the door.

“How do we know it’s you,” Sam said, his face filled with confusion, taking a step back.

“It’s me,” Castiel said looking back and forth between the brothers.

Sam slowly eyed the shape of his old friend and hesitated. He suddenly unloaded his gun and threw it on the couch. He then took a determined step forward, throwing his strong arms around Castiel’s shoulders, almost picking up from the floor. Realizing his brother was still pointing his gun, Sam let go and stepped back.

“Dean,” Sam said looking over at him. “Think about it. How many people know where he’s been? Besides, he’s not a leviathan. Look, he’s bleeding.”

Dean thought about what Sam said and looked at an open wound on Castiel’s arm that dripped with nothing but normal, red blood. He finally unloaded his gun and tucked it in between his back and his jeans.

“Cas?” Dean asked hesitantly in a low whisper as he put a hand on his shoulder, looking like wanted to cry.

“Dean,” Castiel said locking his blue eyes with Dean’s green eyes.

Finally able to process the sudden event, Dean put his other hand on Castiel’s other shoulder and pulled him in for a tight hug, leaning his head against him, closing his eyes tight.

“Dammit, Cas,” he whispered through his teeth. “What happened?”

Castiel took a step back and explained to the brothers how the leviathans had stayed inside him when he’d put the souls back in Purgatory, and how they’d taken control over him. He couldn’t remember anything else after that, except waking up at the bottom of a lake, freezing cold. He’d gone to Bobby’s house, just to find the place burnt to the ground. He had no clue how to find Sam or Dean.

“But then I managed to find you,” Castiel finished his story. “I have no idea how, but I did. And I’m glad I did.”

“It’s good to have you back, Cas,” Sam said smiling, but still looking kind of sad.

“Don’t ever scare us like that again,” Dean said sounding like a parent who’s found their lost child, still holding a hand on Castiel’s shoulder.

Castiel smiled back at the brothers and was just about to say something as he blacked out, staring into thin air, his face going blank.

“Cas?” Dean looked at him and then at Sam. “Hey, ground control!” He waved a hand in front of Castiel’s face, but he didn’t react.

A moment later Castiel snapped out of it, looking at the brothers in shock, like he didn’t know what was happening. He let his eyes wander across their faces, looking distorted.

“Cas, what was that?” Dean asked in confusion.

“I don’t know what just happened,” he answered frowning.

Dean told him about his little blackout and asked if he was okay.

“There is something wrong,” Castiel said, sitting down on the couch, putting Sam’s gun on the coffee table. “I was only gone for a minute you say… but for me it felt more like a month.”

“What?” Sam sat down next to him. “That’s exactly what happened to me when I got those flashbacks of Hell. Did you see Hell?”

Sam looked up at Dean then back at Castiel who seemed to start blacking out again, suddenly falling back on the couch as if he’d fainted.

“Cas!” Sam and Dean hovered around him, unable to wake him up.

 

When Castiel finally woke up, he slowly scrambled to his feet and looked around. He was in a dark, unknown place surrounded by a massive fight between what looked like angels and demons. There was blood all around and the sky was equally red and filled with black smoke.

“Castiel.”

A familiar voice from behind him made him turn around. Balthazar was flying towards him, smoothly landing on his feet right next to him.

“My God, it’s good to see you alive,” he said. “Looks like we’re fighting together once again, old friend.”

“Balthazar,” Castiel said, looking at his brother. “What is going on? How are you alive?”

So you haven’t heard? Where have you been all this time? Lucifer got out of his cage after killing Michael and _this_ is what happened.” Balthazar gestured to their surroundings. “We’re fighting a war against Hell, in Heaven. Everyone is forced to join; even some dead angels, including yours truly, are brought back to life for this, and those who don’t join the ballet – they get smote. I’m sorry to say this is probably the last we’ll see of each other.”

“Lucifer got out?” Castiel said in shock only focusing on that part. “How?”

“I don’t know. But since there was no one to rules up here after you killed Raphael and disappeared, he thought he would be the perfect candidate, I guess.”

 

Meanwhile Sam and Dean sat in the silent cabin watching Castiel’s unconscious body. They didn’t know what was going on, or what they could do to stop it.

Castiel’s body might have been empty, but being the vessel of an angel for so long, it left a connection. So whenever Castiel was wounded during the battle in Heaven, his vessel received the same wound in blood and pain.

At first, Sam and Dean had no idea what was happening when cuts and bruises started to appear on Castiel’s pale skin, staining his clothes. But they slowly realized they had to help Cas since he was in no condition to do it himself. They couldn’t do anything but patch him up as best they could, even as new wounds appeared, and hope for him to wake up soon.

 

Over a day had passed as Sam and Dean took shifts guarding Castiel’s wounded body, trying to do their best to help him, wrapping him in bandages, and wiping off all the blood.

“Hold on…” Sam suddenly said, breaking the silence, sounding really worried. “…if a minute is a moth or him--- Dean, how long has it been already?”

Dean, who was pacing back and forth in the small cabin, now and then glancing at Castiel, stopped as soon as his brain had processed his brother’s words.

“It’s been about thirty hours,” he said, his eyes widening and eyebrows pushing together. “So, you’re telling me he’s been gone for, what, thirty _years_?”

“More like a hundred and fifty. If it’s true what he sa---”

Castiel suddenly turned over on the couch. His eyes were wide open. He was back in his vessel. He coughed, blood dripping from his pale lips to the floor.

“Oh my God, Cas,” Dean said staggering his way to kneel next to him. “Sam, get some more bandages and towels.”

Sam scrambled to his feet, letting go of Castiel as his hand had been resting against his kegs, holding him back on the couch. Letting go, Castiel rolled down onto the floor, next to Dean who caught his head in his knees, looking down at the injured angel.

“Cas,” Dean said sadly, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. “Hey… you okay?”

“Dean?” Castiel coughed up more blood, looking at Dean like it had been a lifetime since he last saw him. “Where am I?”

Dean was speechless. He didn’t know what to say. Was it like he’d feared? Had it only been thirty hours for them, but a hundred and fifty, whole years for Castiel?

“You’re still with us,” Dean breathed, leaning down over him. “You’ve been here the whole time. Sammy and I – we... we’ve been watching over you. What happened?”

“Lucifer,” Castiel said shortly trying to breathe properly, wincing as the deep cuts across his chest burned.

“Lucifer?”

“He rules Heaven now,” Castiel turned his head away from Dean’s to cough again, more blood dripping down his chin and neck. “I’m sorry, Dean… I tried to… fight. But we lost.”

“It’s okay, Cas,” Dean wanted to say anything to make him feel better, he wished he was able to heal Castiel because it seemed like he was in such agony. “I’ll fix you. You hear?”

Castiel took a rasping breath, grabbing Dean’s shirt as he closed his eyes.

“Dean,” he whispered, unable to talk louder, sounding like he was choking on his own blood. “I want to--- I’m sorry, Dean.”

“Don’t talk like that,” Dean said getting more and more worried about losing Castiel again, his eyes tearing up. “You’re not dying on me, Cas. Not now! We’ve already lost Bobby. Not you too, Cas!”

Dean closed his eyes and leaned his forehead to Castiel’s. His deep blue eyes were open, but unfocused, and he wasn’t breathing.

Quietly leaning back, Dean had to put an arm over his eyes as a sudden blinding white light came pouring from every wound and opening on Castiel’s body. The light grew brighter, reaching every dark corner of the cabin. As the light slowly dissipated a moment later, Dean slowly opened his eyes again. Huge, beautiful, black ashen wings burned marks across his lap and down onto the wooden floor, letting Dean know that this angel was gone.

**Author's Note:**

> If you wish to spread this on tumblr, please reblog it from me: [lustfullygazing](http://lustfullygazing.tumblr.com/)


End file.
